Political Information Processing in an Electoral Context

Abstract

Choice-reaction-time and psychophysical measures are used in a laboratory study of change and stability in the semantic content of three presidential images during the 1980 American election campaign. The closeness with which 26 descriptive terms are associated with each of the three is assessed. Illustrative descriptive findings are presented, showing, among other things, relatively little change in the image of "the ideal president," consider able though selective change in the image of President Carter, and an intermediate level of change for "the typical Democratic president." The impact of President Carter's image on that of the typical Democratic president is plain. In addition, the reaction time data show that respondents are much clearer about what they want in a president than they are about what they have in one. However, they are not more sure about what they have in the case of President Carter than they are about what they would have in the hypothetical case of "the typical Democratic president." This outcome underscores and measures the respondents' uncertainty with respect to many elements of the Carter image.